The curious case of Parkland school shooting victim Kyle Laman

Dr. Eowyn—Yesterday, Tony Mead posted on his Facebook page a YouTube video of 15-year-old Kyle Laman, one of the wounded in the February 14 mass shooting incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Facebook‘s reason for taking down Mead’s post (“A post you made contains content that violates our Terms of Use”) is at once ambiguous and broad because Facebook‘s Terms of Service are many and numerous. Without specifying whichterm of service Mead allegedly had violated, the statement “A post you made contains content that violates our Terms of Use” amounts to a catch-all excuse to justify arbitrary censorship.

So what was so offensive about Tony Mead’s post?

This is the NBC Today news video that Mead posted:

As Americans, whose exercise of free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, we respectfully ask the following four questions about the NBC news video:

New Health Advisor has a page, “Can I Walk on Fractured Ankle”. A fractured ankle is defined as “when a bone at or near the ankle joint breaks.” Kyle Laman’s ankle was more than fractured, having been “torn through” by “a round of AR-15”. Kyle Laman’s ankle was shattered.

In the case of a fracturedankle,New Health Advisor says:

“It is usually very difficult to put weight on your fractured ankle and you should not put any weight on your broken ankle for the first few weeks at least (most commonly 6-8 weeks). Just walk with assistance and shifting weight to the good foot . . . . Some people even feel dizzy or sick mainly due to the pain and shock of breaking their ankle.“

In Kyle Laman’s case, his ankle had just been “torn through” by “a round of AR-15”. How did he manage to not only walk, but “run down three flights of stairs”? He even had the presence of mind to give authorities a “complete description” of the shooter — what the shooter was wearing, and even the type of weapon he was using.

(2) According to New Health Advisor, a fractured ankle is treated with a plaster cast — “It is important to put your fractured ankle in a plaster cast for at least six weeks“.

In the NBC Today video, which was published to YouTube on March 2, 2018, just 16 days after Kyle Laman’s ankle had been “torn through” by “a round of AR-15,” his shattered — not fractured — ankle is not in a plaster cast. Instead, in the screenshot below, from the 0:41 mark in the video, Laman’s leg is fitted with what appears to be a metal leg-stabilizer.

(3) The above image is curious for another reason — Laman’s foot doesn’t seem to have toe nails. Why’s that?

I’ve cropped the image and enlarged it:

Is the foot a prosthetic?

(4) Then there is the matter of Laman’s wandering wounded leg.

Here’s a screenshot I took at the 0:12 mark, showing Laman’s wounded leg to be his right leg:

But in the screenshot below, at the 1:56 mark, the curvature of Laman’s body suggests the wounded leg is now his left leg. I had to really slow down the video in order to grab that screenshot because right after the camera shows Laman’s wounded left leg, it quickly cuts away.

There is a Go Fund Me soliciting donations for Kyle Laman, with a goal of raising $50,000. As of this morning, $38,820 have been donated.